Stop a default date appearing when there is none for a date field

I just added a custom date field. It seems to auto-populate with 01/01/2001. How do I get the date field to be blank by default, until I add a date?

You can’t. That’s a default property of the date controller.

Shame, as it incorrectly populates that field in every document.

A workaround might be to set the date to e.g. 01/01/1901

Yes, a workaround. Is that possible? It would effectively make the default date redundant, as no edited dates would be in that range.

I switched to a text field; it can be left blank

…which is fine, of course, unless you need to sort by the date in the custom metadata field. :smiley:

Stephen

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When I want sortable dates that are text, I use the format YYYY-MM-DD or YY-MM-DD. Works. Creation of this format surely can be automated.

Edit: We used this format when I was on the fringes of an operation to manage process control technology at plants around the world. The above format was unambiguous regardless of the country. For example, 06/01/21 means at least two different things.

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